Dolphin Quantum Pro Review

If you’re looking for a robotic pool cleaner, this may just be one of the best of the year. With a 1.9 PSI reading in my manometer testing, this is one of the strongest pool robots. And the suction to price ratio is the best there is.

1.9 PSI. That’s what this robot pulled on my gauge — the fourth-strongest suction reading I’ve ever logged, out of more than two dozen robotic pool cleaners. It out-pulled a cordless flagship that costs 3 times as much. And it climbed my pool steps to clean them — something almost every other cleaner won’t touch.

This is the new Dolphin Quantum Pro, the 2026 addition to Dolphin’s ProLine. And after 3 weeks in the pool, it might be the best robotic pool cleaner of the year. Here’s everything you need to know.

Hey guys, I’m Ryan with ActuallyUsed, where we put products to the test so you don’t have to. No reading specs off the box, no unboxing and guessing. Every robot that comes through here gets weeks in a real pool with real messes — and every single one gets hooked up to my hydro manometer, a device that measures actual suction pressure at the intake port. If it doesn’t pass the manometer test, it doesn’t make the cut.

Today it’s the Dolphin Quantum Pro’s turn. This is Maytronics’ 2026 follow-up to the original Quantum — a robot that’s been one of my favorite value picks for a while now. But this isn’t a face-lift. The Quantum Pro has a ton of upgrades, taking its place in the ProLine from Maytronics, sitting right alongside the Premier and the Sigma. New navigation logic, new app integration, and a real answer for shallow water.

But a ProLine badge means nothing if the muscle isn’t there. So let’s start where I always start: the gauge.

The Manometer Test

If you’re new here, the manometer is my polygraph for spec sheets. Manufacturers publish flow rate — gallons per hour moving through the pump. I measure suction pressure in PSI right at the intake port, where debris actually gets pulled in. Those are two different measurements telling two different stories. Flow rate tells you how much water moves. PSI tells you how hard the robot pulls when it rolls over sand, silt, and acorns. In my experience, PSI is the number that decides whether your pool actually gets clean.

So I hooked the Quantum Pro up, ran it through my usual testing, and it peaked at 1.9 PSI on my gauge.

Let me put that number in context, because on its own it means nothing.

The original Quantum — the robot this one replaces — tested at 1.4 PSI in my pool. So the Quantum Pro is pulling roughly a third more suction than its predecessor. That’s not a spec-sheet tweak, that’s a different class of cleaning power.

The Dolphin Nautilus CC, one of the most popular entry-level robots out there, gave me 0.8 PSI. The Quantum Pro more than doubles it.

Now the cordless side — and this is where it gets interesting. The Beatbot AquaSense 2 Ultra, a $3,500 cordless flagship, peaked at 1.6 PSI on my gauge with a full battery in my testing. The AquaSense 2 Pro gave me 1.5. The Aiper Scuba X1 barely hit 1.0 — the Quantum Pro nearly doubles that one. So in my testing, this robot out-pulled cordless machines costing two to three times its price.

Quick note on those cordless numbers: every one of them is a full-battery, best-case reading, measured fresh off the charger. What happens to suction as those batteries drain over a cleaning cycle is a test I’m running right now for an upcoming video — so if you want to see those results, subscribe so you don’t miss it.

And to be fair about where the Quantum Pro sits: only three robots I’ve tested have pulled more. The Premier hit 2.2 PSI on my gauge, the Clear UV hit 2.09, and the Sigma hit 2.0. Those are some of the top robotic pool cleaners, and they cost more. The Quantum Pro slots in right behind them — fourth place out of everything I’ve ever put on the gauge.

And I’m not saying the brands publishing big flow-rate numbers are being dishonest — they’re just measuring something different than I am. But when you’re standing at your pool wondering why there’s still silt on the steps, intake pressure is the measurement that explains it. That’s my opinion based on my results, and it’s why I keep buying manometer tubing to test these robots.

What’s New on the Quantum Pro

So what is new on the Quantum? Well first, the sticker now says “Quantum Pro”. So don’t be confused, this is still the “Dolphin Quantum” according to Maytronics – but it is the way to know you are getting the newest model.

1. The Smart Power Supply

The Quantum Pro ships with Dolphin’s Wi-Fi enabled smart power supply — the same power brick I’ve praised on the Sigma. And here’s the detail that matters: the weekly timer is built right into the power supply, even if you never download the app. A lot of pool owners just want to plug the thing in, hit a button, and have it clean automatically every week. They don’t want another app on their phone.

With the Quantum Pro you get both. App control if you want it, plug-and-play automation if you don’t. In my opinion, that’s exactly how it should be done.

2. The MyDolphin Plus App — It Works Underwater

Through the MyDolphin Plus app you can schedule cleanings, switch modes, spot-clean specific areas, and even steer the robot around manually like an underwater RC car. It’s the same app the Sigma uses, and it’s the best pool robot app I’ve personally used.

Here’s why that’s worth saying out loud: every cordless robot app I’ve tested — Beatbot, Aiper — dropped the connection the moment the robot went underwater. You get controls when it’s floating at the surface and a blank screen the rest of the time. In my testing, the MyDolphin Plus app held its connection while the robot was down there cleaning. I started cycles from the couch. Every time. That’s how a smart pool robot should work.

3. Sun Shelves, Steps, and Ledges

This is the upgrade that surprised me the most. The Quantum Pro is specifically built to clean shallow sun shelves, baja ledges, and pool steps — Maytronics says it’ll run in water as shallow as around 12 inches.

If you own a modern inground pool, you already know this is the spot where robots go to embarrass themselves. Most of them beach on the ledge, lose traction, or refuse to climb up there at all. In my testing, the Quantum Pro actually went up my steps, worked the shallow ledge, and came back down on its own. Is it flawless up there? No. But it’s one of the first robots I’ve tested that even attempts it — and it gets the job done. If you’ve been hand-brushing a sun shelf every weekend, this feature alone changes your Saturdays.

What Carried Over — The ProLine DNA

Maytronics didn’t bolt new features onto a stripped platform. Everything that made the Quantum a reliable pick is still here.

The XXL MaxBin is back — a top-loading basket that holds way more debris than the baskets on most cordless robots. Leaves, pollen, oak tassels, bugs — pop the lid, lift the basket, rinse, snap it back in. No flipping a dripping 20-pound robot on your deck.

You still get Dolphin’s interchangeable filtration: standard mesh for the big stuff and the pleated NanoFilters for fine dirt, sand, and algae dust. Both come in the box. And I’ll say it again because it keeps proving true in my side-by-side testing — these NanoFilters are the best filtration I’ve tested on any robot. Shine a light through the mesh screens on most cordless units and you can see what’s going to slip through. The NanoFilters grab particles those screens don’t even see.

The anti-tangle swivel cable is still here, and if you’ve ever owned a corded robot without one, you know. Cable tangles quietly destroy coverage patterns over weeks until the robot’s stranded mid-pool. The swivel solves it — I haven’t had a single tangle in my testing.

And the HyperBrush active scrubbing carries over — a front brush spinning about twice as fast as Dolphin’s base models. This isn’t a passive brush dragging along the floor. It actively breaks loose stuck-on dirt, algae, and biofilm before the suction grabs it. Pair that scrubbing with 1.9 PSI of pull and you get why corded robots keep outcleaning cordless ones in my real-world tests: a passive brush vacuums debris that’s already loose. This thing does the actual cleaning.

Navigation got the update treatment too. The SmartNav logic on this generation feels noticeably more deliberate in my pool — tighter coverage patterns, smoother wall transitions, faster recovery when it bumps a drain or a bench instead of spinning around lost. Paired with the PowerStream mobility system, its grip on the walls and waterline is aggressive in the best way.

Where It Sits in Dolphin’s Lineup

Quick lineup decoder, because Dolphin’s naming trips people up. The ProLine is the premium, commercial-grade tier — the Premier, the Sigma, and now the Quantum Pro. These share DNA with Dolphin’s Wave commercial cleaners, the ones that sell for thousands to public pools and resorts. Stronger motors, better wall climbing, longer-lasting components, 2 to 3 year warranty coverage – depending on the model.

The Max-Series is the value tier — the Cayman and the Escape. Still excellent robots, and the Cayman at 1.5 PSI on my gauge is one of the best values in the industry. But they’re built with residential-grade motors at a friendlier price.

The Quantum Pro is the newest member of the ProLine, and it lands in a sweet spot: powerful suction, the full smart-app experience, and the sun shelf cleaning — without stretching all the way up to Sigma or Premier price tags.

Head-to-Heads

Quantum Pro vs. Premier

The Premier is still my number one overall pick, and there are two reasons. First, it’s the strongest robot I’ve ever put on the gauge at 2.2 PSI. Second, it’s the only Dolphin with a leaf bag — the Multi-Media system that swallows heavy leaf loads whole. If trees rule your pool, nothing I’ve tested beats it.

But if your pool isn’t a leaf factory, the Quantum Pro counters with the app, the newer navigation, and the sun shelf cleaning the Premier wasn’t built around. Leaf-heavy pool, go Premier. Modern pool with a shelf, the Quantum Pro is the more current pick. But it still doesn’t quite beat out the power of the Premier. I break the whole matchup down in my Premier vs. Quantum Pro comparison.

Quantum Pro vs. Sigma

The Sigma has been the tech king of the ProLine — three commercial motors, gyroscope navigation, 2.0 PSI on my gauge, every bell and whistle Dolphin makes. If you want the maxed-out flagship, that’s still the Sigma.

Here’s the thing though: the Quantum Pro gives you most of it — same app, same NanoFilters, same XXL MaxBin, same swivel cable — for less money, and adds the shallow-water cleaning the Sigma wasn’t designed for. For most pools under 50 feet, I think the Quantum Pro is the smarter buy. That’s my opinion based on my results, but the gap in day-to-day experience is smaller than the gap in price. See the full Sigma vs. Quantum Pro comparison for the round-by-round.

Quantum Pro vs. Clear UV

Now I’ve got to bring up the Clear UV, because it’s the most innovative robot to hit my test pool in years. It’s a high-powered corded unit with four motors, quad scrubbing brushes, and the headline feature — an ultraviolet light built into the bottom of the unit that disinfects the pool surface while it cleans. That’s the same class of tech commercial aquatic centers use, in a residential robot.

With a 2.09 PSI reading, it is the more powerful robot. And it cleans like a Pro.

What I can tell you is they’re built for different buyers. The Clear UV is the cutting-edge newcomer. The Quantum Pro is built on a Maytronics platform with years of real-world reliability behind it — the proven pick with the best app I’ve used and the best filtration I’ve tested. If you want the newest tech in the water, read my Clear UV review. If you want the safe, proven, still-excellent choice, the Quantum Pro is it.

Who the Quantum Pro Is For

Not every robot fits every pool, so let me make this simple. The Quantum Pro is built for modern inground pools with sun shelves, ledges, or steps. Pools fighting fine dust, pollen, or sand — that’s NanoFilter territory. Medium-to-large pools up to roughly 50 feet. And anyone who wants true set-it-and-forget-it automation off the weekly timer.

And that last one deserves a beat, because it’s the quiet reason I keep steering people toward corded robots. A cordless robot means pulling it out to charge and dropping it back in — twice a day, every day. That’s 14 interactions a week. A corded robot with a weekly timer? You walk out once a week to rinse a filter. One interaction. Fourteen versus one. Over a season, that’s the difference between owning a robot and working for one.

If your pool is under 33 feet with no shelf, save the money and look at the Cayman — I’ve got a full review on it. Buried in leaves, go Premier. Want the maxed-out flagship, go Sigma. But for the best blend of suction, smart features, and value in a modern pool — this is the one.

Final Thoughts

So, is the Dolphin Quantum Pro the best robotic pool cleaner of the year? In my testing, it’s making the strongest case I’ve seen.

It posted the fourth-highest suction reading I’ve ever measured at 1.9 PSI — behind only its own ProLine siblings and the Clear UV, and ahead of cordless flagships costing two to three times more. It kept the XXL MaxBin, the NanoFilters, the swivel cable, and the HyperBrush that made the Quantum platform great. And it added the best app I’ve used and a real answer for sun shelves and steps — the one job almost every robot I’ve tested fails at.

Is it the strongest raw pull on my gauge? No — that’s the Premier. Is it the maxed-out tech flagship? No — that’s the Sigma. Is it the most innovative thing in the water right now? The Clear UV wants that crown. But as the most complete package for a modern pool at this price? Based on my results, the Quantum Pro is the easiest yes I’ve given in a long time.

If you want to check it out, head over to the deals page — that’s where I post the best deals I can find on everything I’ve reviewed. And that battery drain-down test on the cordless robots? It’s next, so subscribe if you want to see what happens to those full-battery numbers.

Thanks for watching, and I’ll catch you on the next one.